Touching the Moon

author’s note:

From watching the moon
       I turned
       and my friend old
shadow led me home
       -- Shiki (trans. Beilenson/Behn)


TOUCHING THE MOON

I hate the moon tonight because
my stunted arms can’t grant
the wish of my starved hands
to touch the moon I love:
I love

the deep feelings
that orb provokes.

So despite the torture
I continue to gaze
into its inscrutable face

until my desire
finally seems unbearable.
Then I turn away

and weave my way
back through
this midnight wood.

But the moon follows me--
paints milk on leaves
beside the trail--
the shadows deepen in response
to this illumination.

I lay my hand on a stone
softened by moonglow
and touch the moon by touching that stone.

And again I realize:
though our gods and goddesses
seem so distant
we can still feel them
through all those things
that shine with their light.

What I Learned While Alone: poetry ebook
© 2021, Michael R. Patton